A friend of mine is thinking of getting a new YFZ so I was considering buying his 2001 Raptor since it would no doubt be a great deal... the only thing is I know the rep of the 01 Raptors and his in particular. He claims every time he has a hard ride (he raced a bit in the local OCCRA events) his clutch went out. I am inclined to think that its his own fault but still... can you destroy a clutch that quick? Is this something I should be wary of... the raptors clutch is out right now as I type this and hasn't been ridden in months.

If I get his raptor Ill fix the clutch with a GYT-R clutch kit (from what I understand the GYT-R basket is made by Hinson so I would imagine its just like getting a Hinson basket). I would hope this would solve the problem once and for all but I don't want to buy a lemon. BTW it has never had any gear problems that I hear so much about... or is this clutch issue a symptom of that problem?

Any opinions?

 

That is definatley true 01 raptors have a problem with the tranny so if i were you i would not buy that is a lot of work and will cost a lot of money also. You can probalby buy an 02 for a good price they are getting a lotr cheaper.

 

Don't worry about the trany problems with the 01's. Some of the 02's went out too. If it's just the clutch that is a problem and everything else is running good, take the deal. I would make sure that the price of the new clutch is worked into the deal though.
I still think the problem with the 01 trany was from shifting from R to 1st while still rolling backwards. From what I remember that was a common factor. If it hasn't gone out by now, you should be in pretty good shape. Or it could go out the first time you ride it. I guess that's the chance you take.